Edoardo Mortara to join Mercedes

Having been part of the Audi Sport team since 2011, the 2016 DTM Series runner-up EdoardoMortara is to make the move over to Mercedes.

Mortara becomes the first driver to be confirmed by the Stuttgart based outfit, with five seats left remaining as the manufacturers look set to reduce their line ups from eight cars to six.

The Italian has claimed eight victories since joining the series back in 2011 – five of which came in the 2016 season, the most of any driver, but it was not good enough to stop MarcoWittmann claiming the title.

Uli Fritz, head of Mercedes-AMG DTM commented: “We are delighted to finally announce Edoardo as one of the team’s race driver for 2017.

“Edoardo and Mercedes came to an agreement for some time but due to respect to Audi, we didn’t announce the signing of their title contender earlier. Edoardo is a perfect fit for our team.

“He’s not only an experienced race driver but also a great character. We’re looking forward to a successful partnership with him.”

Mortara still has one more race to contest as an Audi driver. The Italian is to compete in the FIA GT WorldCup next month in support of the MacauGrand Prix.